Crushed Glass
by XxXLoveMeDeadXxX
Summary: Anna Christiansen is a teenager with the worst family in history. After being beaten by her father over something she didn't do, she gains a mysterious note with instructions that seem impossible to follow. THIS STORY IS AN ORIGINAL!
1. Chapter 1

Crushed Glass

Chapter One

It was perfect. I thought I was hallucinating, but it didn't seem so. I pinched myself, and it hurt. I smiled gleefully. I was away from it all, the stress, the hurt, the anger, I was in a place no one could touch me.

Well, technically, when your in Baltimore, Maryland, it's not like you have a force field around you. I loved Baltimore. I had most of the good times here. Plus, it's where my grandparents were buried. I loved my grandparents. They were the only people in my entire life who didn't treat me like dog crap on a $750 carpet (you'll see the irony later.)

I was chillin' at my old elementary school, Samuel F.B. Morse elementary. Although it was one of those schools that there's a fight everyday, and the white kid population was a whopping 15.7%, and we were always two chapters behind than the other school systems, but the reason I liked it is because then, in my la la land, I get to see my two best friends, the two non-relatives that never treated me like crap. They were Angela Greenbay and Kayla Demeters. I loved them like sisters (sorry, I'm not gay.) It was the first I had seen them in, like, eons. We had found some fresh, cold bottles of orange soda hidden in the fridge of the teachers' lounge (whoa, someone's not following their diet!) and as soon as we were about to pop those suckers open, _she_ happened.

More like _it_ happened. _It_ was the answer to the Devil's prayers. Kinda like Him from the _Powerpuff Girls_. Or Slade from _Teen Titans_. Yes, I like kid T.V. shows too, so?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Wake up, Anna! It's almost 12:30, and you haven't made my lunch for school yet!," my obnoxious, demanding 5 year old sister, Lucy, screamed into my ear as she shoved me roughly off the bed, sending me onto the floor.

"Oww!" I exclaimed after having a most wonderful contact with the floor using my head. I swear, I never can get a decent, Saturday morning sleep when the Kindergarten Menace is around. Well, that was Lucy Christiansen for ya; all the bossy and none the holy, like our last name states. Lucy went to one of those schools where it took place Tuesday through Saturday, and the day began at 1 o'clock and ended at 5. And guess who was in charge of doing the delightful task of waking up at the most unwanted time, make her lunch, and walk her to the building? None other than moi.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting' to it," I grumbled as I stood up, rustling my hair with one of my hands. I loved my hair messy like that. Neat n' tidy just isn't my cup of tea.

"Well, hurry up! I can't be late, I must have perfect attendance!" she snapped at me. Jeesh, she was sure the kiss-up when my parents, my other siblings, and other adults/children were around, but when I come it's like God zapped a split personality into her.

I groaned, shading my eyes from the bright light that shone through my bedroom window, then jogged downstairs to the kitchen. Quickly, I whipped up a peanut-butter and strawberry jam sandwich, Goldfish crackers in a baggy, a Capri-Sun, and two cookies wrapped in a napkin. I figured I'd give her all her faves today, so maybe she'd get off my back. I loaded it all into a Barbie lunchbox and handed it to the she-devil.

"Here's your lunch," I muttered. "Lemme go get dressed and I'll walk you to school." To much of my surprise, she didn't yell at me, just nodded. Maybe cause she saw me put the sugar cookies into her bag. I ran upstairs, shut the door and locked it. You can't trust anyone inside of the Christiansen house.

I pulled out a pair of dark skinny jeans and a black t-shirt, even though it was hot outside. After pulling those on over my black sports bra and black n' blue polka-dotted underwear, I dug out some socks and my black Converse All-Stars. Yes, I'm the dark, emo-ish person in my family. Which is not hard when you're name is Anna Christiansen and you lived on 1003 Leeds Ave. in the middle of a beautiful county such as Arbutus. By the way, if you're too stupid to figure it out all by yourself, _I'm_ Anna Christiansen.

I'm a fourteen year old girl who's been banished to h-e- double toothpicks. I'm in a family of six, extended family not included. It consists of my mother, the Control Freak, my dad, who likes to abuse people, especially freshmen high school girls who had black hair and hazel eyes, my 18 year old sister who is the prom queen/head cheerleader/most popular chick in our school/was dating hot QB Jet Johnson. I'd name a lot more, but this book is supposed to be PG, not PG-13. Then there's my 16 year old brother who likes to play the most crude pranks (crude as in blood-spilling) and ended up breaking my arm, leg, and a few ribs all in one sitting. Then there was me, the 14 year old punching bag, and lastly, Lucy the she-devil.

I added a checkered wristband to my ensemble, tucked my crappy cell phone and a few bucks in my pocket, and went downstairs to meet Lucy. "All right, kiddo, let's go." I opened the door, and she flounced out. Lucy has a terrible habit of following my older sister, Tiffany, in style, attitude, personality, and (sadly) the way she treats me. I bet if Tiffany didn't exist, me and Lucy would be like two peas in a pod. I loved little kids, they remind me of chibi drawings in the manga I read.

Going back to the subject of Lucy's style, she was wearing a frilly, pink Sunday dress, even though she's a day early. Her shoes were a dark pink to contrast, and she had a pink headband in her hair with dark pink ribbons twisted around it. It blinded me just to look at the kid.

That was the only thing she didn't totally copy off of Tiffany; Tiffany wears different colors every day, and everything matched in the same color, light or dark. Lucy wore pink every single day, just as I always wore at least something black everyday.

Then, we were walking in the oven that was Arbutus, part of Baltimore county. It was only April, and temperature's were already in the 90's. Too hot for comfort. I pray to God every night for a temperature of 50 degrees the next day. And God, just like everything else in my sight, didn't hear me or paid no attention.

We finally made it to Arbutus Elementary for the Kindergarten weekend program that Lucy attended, and I dropped her off at the doors. "See ya," I said half-heartedly, but she had paid no attention and walked inside, without so much as a wave, a "Goodbye Anna, see you later!" or a kiss on the cheek. Tough love.

I sighed, and started walking all the way back to Leeds Ave., stopping at the Royal Farms to get a giant orange Slushie. I walked back to the house to find myself greeted with a tight wire tied around the doorframe, causing me to trip and spill sticky orange liquid all over my face and shirt.

"Agh! Cody, you get your butt over here and get rid of this friggin' wire!" I shouted to a blonde haired boy hidden behind the couch, laughing his behind off. Out of all four of us minors (well, Tiffany's 18, but so what) Cody was the most immature. He just loved to pull pranks on people, and I was his own personal practice target.

"You're an idiot, you should always look where you're going when I'm in the house," he replied, still laughing. He then got up, walked over to the wire (stepping on my back in the process) and took the wire away. I stood up, grabbed a role of paper towels from the kitchen, and instantly started to mop up the mess. He just stood there, smiling.

I looked up at him, clearly annoyed. "Aren't you gonna help me? You caused this."

"One, no I didn't How was I supposed to know you were going to come in with a 64 ounce Slushie? And two, I have a white shirt on, so no thanks." He smirked, knowing he had one yet another battle.

I growled in rage, threw out the dirty paper towels, and ran to my room to change my shirt. I was fed up with this place.

Okay, my room is about the only cozy place in this death trap with shingles. The walls were a light grey, there was a bed with a black bedspread, a T.V. and DVD player, a built-into-the-wall closet, a few drawers, about four shelves filled with journals, books, movies, and manga, and an out-of-date laptop that was laying on the bed, slightly blending into the black. It was very small, but that was okay, because I didn't have a lot of stuff. Way to keep in proportion

I dug through my drawers until I found my favorite Nightmare Before Christmas t-shirt, tugged off the wet shirt I was already wearing, and slid on the clean, dry shirt. I walked downstairs to the sun room, where we kept the washer and dryer (we didn't have a basement) and threw the dirty shirt in with the rest of the clothes.

Then, it was time for chores.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And now, I am proud to say, that I have set a new house record. I have made my bed, washed and dried the dishes, cleaned the gutters, took out the trash, mop the kitchen floor, changed the light bulb in the refrigerator, folded the laundry, and fixed the screen on the back door in less than one full hour. Do I get praise? Probably not.

As soon as I finished the screen on the back door, I heard a door slam shut, and a yelling of, "I'm home!" Tiffany just came home from her date with Jet, I suppose. She was supposed to be back an hour ago to help me with the laundry and walk the dog, Ol' Faithful, but of course she came late. Jet probably took her to his house and they probably…Okay, never mind, I am soooo not going into detail on that subject.

She walked into the kitchen, where I was washing my hands, and grimaced at my existence. "Hey, scrub, you seen Cody around?"

I gave her the stink-eye and mumbled, "No, I don't want to after the stunt he pulled." She smirked, and I instantly knew that she must've came up with the plan to sabotage me and my Slushie-drinking habits. "Huh, no wonder the front door smelled like Orange Crush." She strutted off in her orange tank top, matching jacket which had a darker shade, dark blue denim capris, citrus orange high heels, golden Prada bag, and breast-filled glory, and I was glad she decided to leave. Usually if she had said something else, I'd have to restrain myself from sticking her face in the food disposal in the sink.

I finished washing up and walked to my room. I laid on my bed and turned my laptop on. I logged onto Chatango, this chat site that wasn't as popular as Myspace, but a lot of people used it. My account was XxLoveMeDeadxX, after the song "Love Me Dead" by _Ludo. _Sadly, LoveMeDead and XxXLoveMeDeadXxX were taken, but hey, what are ya gonna do?

My attitude instantly cleared up the moment I saw Angela and Kayla online. Hey, just 'cause I haven't seen them doesn't mean we lost contact.

Angela's account was PowrPuffBabayGrl (major fan of _Powerpuff Girls _if you haven't noticed) and Kayla was ParamoreCrazay (Paramore lover. Go Kayla!)

I knew they were at the chat, because they had an idle time of one hour and thirty-two minutes, so I typed in the chat link, and in a few seconds I was there.

**PowrPuffBabayGrl: **anna!!! wher were u?

**XxLoveMeDeadxX: **chores. whut else?

**ParamoreCrazay: **jeez, i hope ur rents r payin u double

**XxLoveMeDeadxX: **double? hahahahaha

**PowrPuffBabayGrl: **u only get 10$ a week. u deserve more than that! U do more than an hour of chores everyday, and mine only take up 10 min.!

**XxLoveMeDeadxX: **actually, just beat tht record 2day. Been so darn good at it, it only took me 45 min. to get it all done

**ParamoreCrazay: **UR GETTING GOOD AT IT??? Ok, u've been workin too hard

**PowrPuffBabayGrl: **yeah, that's soooo unlike u, if I had to do it, it'd take me days!

**XxLoveMeDeadxX: **cuz ur not used to it. I am, and it's kinda hrd getting used to sumthin u h8

**ParamoreCrazay: **I feel ya hun, I feel ya. Hey, me and ang r goin 2 el paso for spring brk, u comin?

**XxLoveMeDeadxX: **ur kidding, right? There ain't no way the rents will let me go to el paso. If it was tiff, cody, or lucy, then yeah. Me is a solid no-no.

**PowrPuffBabayGrl: **dang, they got u on a pretty short leash.

**XxLoveMeDeadxX: **u said it, not me

I stopped typing for a moment when I heard the front door open, and shut. Three sets of voices and footsteps entered the dwelling.

**XxLoveMeDeadxX: **crap, they're back. Imma have to get off, they probably want me to help set the table or sumthin

**ParamoreCrazay: **aww, I sorry babe ;( we tlk 2 u l8r?

**PowrPuffBabayGrl: **fingrs crossed!!!

**XxLoveMeDeadxX: **ilu guyzz

I logged off and exited the chat. Sighing, I shut down the laptop and stood up, stretching. Then that's when it happened.

My mother walked in, face red with anger. Before we move on, I'll tell you a bit about my folks. Bob and Grace Christiansen were some of the worst parents in the universe. Grace was a Control Freak, and everything had to be perfect. If we spilled something on the floor, she either made us sterilize, clean, and disinfect whatever the liquid got onto, or she made us buy new flooring or rug. Wait, did I say us? I meant _me_.

My dad, however, was a completely different story. Whenever I did something wrong, I'd be beaten until every inch of me was red and sore. But if my siblings did something, they got something small, like no T.V. for the rest of the night. Soooo prejudice.

And, going back to the original subject…

"Anna Maria Christiansen, get you skinny behind into the living room right now," she growled ferociously at me. I knew that this wasn't the time to be fooling around, so I did what she said. I gasped at what I saw.

Ol' Faithful had peed, taken a dump, and threw up all at once on this carpet Bob had bought from Iran a few years back that was worth $750 dollars. No one dared to soil it, or no matter who did, he or she would get the beating of a lifetime.

"What is the meaning of this?!?" Grace screamed into my face so loud I thought she broke one of my ears. Bob was standing right next to her, also as mad as she was. "I-I don't know," I stammered. "It was Tiffany's turn to walk him, and she never did it."

Then, Tiffany decided to walk in. Her eyes widened when she saw Grace and Bob looking like a pack of hyenas. "Whoa, what happened?"

Bob then looked over to Tiffany. "Tiff, it was your turn to walk Ol' Faithful today, and now look at the carpet! It's completely soiled!"

Tiffany put on her innocent look. "But Daddy, there was a lot of traffic when I got back from the movies with Jet. I called Anna and asked her if she'd do it for me, and she said yes." My eyes gaped at her, which immediately turned into a death stare. "You did not call me, you weren't even at the movies!!!"

Grace glared at me. "Anna, you purposely lied so you wouldn't take the blame! I can tell from the look on your face!" My jaw dropped. "No, she's lying! If she'd have called, I'd do it! But still, it was her chore and she should be responsible for it!"

Bob grabbed my arm furiously. "No more of your lies!" He dragged me into the sun room and locked the door, so barely no sound could get out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

By the time he finished, I was aching all over. Well, that's what happens when your beaten with a pure leather belt. And it wasn't worn from being old and frequently used all of these years. It was brand new.

My skin was red, as if I'd walked into a tanning salon without lotion. I knew I was going to have new scars spread across my back, arms, and legs, like this cool one I have that's shaped exactly like California. Okay, it wasn't a scar. I had that since I was born. Don't know why, but I think it's pretty rad.

It hurt to walk. I finally got up to my room and laid on the bed. With my stomach, of course. He never whips the stomach. I guess he doesn't want me to start choking and make a lot of noise.

Why don't I call the police, you wonder? He'd shoot me with his rifle before I would have time to reach the phone. He always would seem to know if I was thinking about calling them or not. And I kinda don't want to have a bullet in me, like Kill Bill.

Going back to the event, I laid on my bed. The sun was setting, and the light shone in my face, making me see stars. I started to cry, not so much from the pain, but from the fact that there was nothing I could do to escape. I was pretty much trapped here.

After what seemed like hours, I stood up again, kneeled down by the loose floorboard that sat next to my shelves, and opened it. There was a first aid kit, a few bottles of water, and some bags of potato chips. I was never allowed to grab any food except at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I have a big appetite. I picked up the first aid kit and, after much experience, bandaged myself up and put the first aid kit back in its hiding place. I went over to my door, locked it, and returned to my bed with a copy of _Lassie Come Home._ I didn't feel like talking to anyone.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Cody was a skilled lock-picker, and Lucy was good at opening doors so you don't hear that annoying _creeeeaaaak _sound, so I had lost yet another battle.

I was shook off of my comfort zone when they both snuck up behind me and shouted random stuff into my ear drum. As I recovered, they both were laughing their posteriors off.

"Can't you guys give me a load off, I've just been traumatized!!!" I yelled at them. Lucy finally managed to stop giggling and replied, "We just wanted to know of Daddy kicked your butt yet!" Cody then joined her into mocking me. "Yeah, we heard about Ol' Faithful takin' a dump on the rug. Tiff says she can't believe that Mom and Dad believed that fake story she told about calling you, classic!"

It was then that I wished I had a tape recorder. Proof right there that Tiffany had lied. I was fuming, she should've been the one who had been "taken care of" and Cody and Lucy should've been taunting her!

I couldn't suppress my anger anymore. "Get out of my room. Right now!" I hissed at them.

Lucy smiled that devious smile at me, a smile I've seen so many times it would become the death of me. Then she slowly said, "Don't snap at us, Annie, or Daddy might have to beat you. Say please."

I sighed. I didn't want to be beaten again, this time he might use a knife. "Okay…will you please exit my room?" I felt sheepish, following the orders of a 5 year old.

"Yes, Annie," Cody sneered, and he took Lucy's hand and walked out. That was the point where I lost it. Making sure the door was shut, I grabbed my pillow and pressed my face into it, trying to stifle my cries. I couldn't help it, but I hated acting like a baby just as much as I hated being called Annie. I just kept crying. I missed my grandparents, they always stopped Bob, Grace, and the Mean-some Threesome before anything happened. After they died, when I was seven, Bob started beating me, Grace kept nagging me, and the other children wouldn't leave me at peace.

I suddenly lifted my face away from the pillow and stared at it. _I could end it here, _I thought. _I could just smother myself and never have to worry about them ever again…No one would miss me, except Angela and Kayla, but that'd be okay, they'd know I'm better off this way… _I shook my head, dismissing those thoughts. I wanted to live longer, I didn't want to become a suicide risk. Plus, I still wanted to go places, see sites meant to be seen. I shuddered, and threw the pillow back where it was. The sun had completely set, and it was dark and cold.

I was about to go get up and shut the window, but before I could, a paper airplane zoomed by and landed in my lap. This was surely odd, as I never get mail. I picked it up, and was surprised by its contents. Neat, silky handwriting covered the middle, as if it was typed by computer, but I knew it was done by a person because I could still smell the ballpoint ink. The note was just written. I then started to actually read the content.

_To Anna Christiansen_

_I know who you are, and I'm giving you a chance to escape. Climb out of your window and quietly walk to the backdoor. There you will find your belongings and other essential things in a blue duffel bag. You will find another note clipped to the side of the bag as well as a map. Do not get caught, or you will never leave your house again._

"What the…" I said softly. This was probably a joke. Unless….I stood up and creaked the door to my room open slightly. Across from my door was a window that clearly had a view of the backdoor, and I gasped. There was a blue duffel bag sitting on the step.

I knew that this kid wasn't joking, that he or she was giving me a ticket out of here. But why, and who was it?

I really didn't care at this point, I just wanted to leave terribly. But I'd probably be recognized if the police would be looking for me, so I decided to take cautionary action. I changed into new clothes that I'd never worn: red n' black striped vest, black cargo jeans, and black sneakers. I took a pair of scissors that was hiding within my drawers and cut my hair to an inch above shoulder length.

I put on my pale blue windbreaker, and decided that I was ready. I opened the window back up and looked down. Two story drop, nonetheless. I took in a deep breath and hauled myself out, gripping the window frame, my feet resting on the top of a different window frame on the first floor. I carefully stepped down onto the bottom of the window frame and latched my hands onto the loose shingles. I looked into the window, making sure nobody was there to be able to see me, and then I let go altogether, landing on my feet safely on the sidewalk.

I then got down on my knees and slowly started to crawl past windows and openings, and I had to be careful passing Tiffany's window, because she was smoking and getting rid of the stray ashes by dumping them out the side of the window.

Finally, I reached the backdoor. The lights were out in the kitchen and nobody was there. Highly ironic. I kneeled down at the duffel bag. He'd been telling the truth; there was a note and a map of the whole East coast area clipped onto the bag. I took the note off and unfolded. That same handwriting stood out on the page.

_Anna, if you are reading this now, then congrats. You have fulfilled your goal of leaving your parents house. Now, I need you to do something for me. Your job is to run to the junkyard a few blocks from your house. There is a blue bike. Take it, and ride to the airport. You know where it is. There is money on the side pocket of the duffel bag. Purchase a one-way ticket to Harrisburg, P.A. If you purchase a coach ticket, a women with blond hair will give you the next note. If you purchase a first-class ticket, the plane will crash and you will fall to your death, Also, there is a blue notebook in the same pocket as the money. Record anything that seems strange onto the paper. Good luck._

This is officially the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me, actually. Exactly which ticket would I choose, first-class or coach? What would Brian Boitano do? And besides that, did Anonymous actually think I was going to do it?

Actually, I was. I owe him. Or her. Whatever. And maybe this would take me farther away from the Family of Sheer Terror. I didn't know what was going on, but being the stupid teenager that I was, I decided to play along. After all, what have I got to lose?

Oh, my life and maybe my dignity. But I still wanted to try.

It didn't take long to get to the junkyard. And there it was: a blue bicycle, helmet and padding included. I mounted the bike with my duffel bag strapped to my back and started to ride to the airport. It was pretty quiet in my town when it was night, so I didn't really have to endure the stupid annoyances, such as neighbors screaming at each other, and dogs barking at my heels. What a night.

It took me a half hour to reach the airport, and I left the bike in the bike racks. I didn't think I'd need it.

"One ticket to Harrisburg. Coach." I said to the nice, Asian clerk at the front desk. She smiled at me, took the money from my hand, and handed me a coach ticket. "Have a great time in Harrisburg," she replied joyfully. She was the first person in my life since my grandparents who smiled at me like that. I smiled back. "Thank you, have a good day yourself."

After many, many hours of waiting, I finally heard the happiest comment on the intercom that I've heard since I entered the building.

"Folks, Flight 560 to Harrisburg is now boarding," said a monotonous tone of a young man who sounded like a piece of aluminum foil was taped across his mouth. I sighed in relief, stood up and stretched, and joined the line to board the plane. A boy who looked like he was in college was checking tickets. He looked adorable, not hot. Like a little teddy bear. He checked my ticket, smiled and nodded, meaning I was good to go.

Then, we had to have baggage x-rayed. I finally got a good look at what Anonymous had stuffed into my bag; clothes, food, a cell phone (yippee!!) binoculars, a few books, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Nothing in there was really deadly, so I was allowed to pass through and carry-on (that duffel bag is small as heck.)

Finally, the actual boarding-the-plane took place. I had seat F-17, a seat where you could get up and walk in the aisle without having to step over people's laps. I put my luggage into those cubby things that are over the seats, and I relaxed in my seat, For coach, those seats were comfy.

"Excuse me, ma'am, would you like anything to drink?" I turned to see a stewardess looking at me, order book in hand. _She was blond. _

"Umm, a bottle of orange soda?" I asked, because I didn't know what they served on planes, She grinned at me, and I instantly knew that she was the one who was going to give me the message. "Alright, I'll be back in one second." She walked away, and the plane started to fill up with a few more people. Then the intercom was turned on, and we heard the pilot's voice.

"folks, this is your pilot. I'm going to ask you to strap on your seatbelts, we are taking off in five minutes, so stay safe and have a fun ride!" Sure enough, a few minutes later, the plane started shaking and moving forward. I'd never been on a plane before, so I was scared, gripping the arms of my seat. Then it stopped shaking. Finally, my second goal fulfilled; learn how to fly.

The lady came back with a bottle of Orange Crush. "Thank you," I replied politely. Then I felt a piece of paper taped onto the bottle; the note.

I ripped it off and unfolded it. Same handwriting. I wa kind of getting used to the fact that Anonymous knew what was happening.

_Good choice, Anna. Now follow these next few steps with the utmost care. As soon as you get off the plane, there will be a Filipino man holding a sign that says "Homeward Bound is safe and Sound." He will take you to your next destination. He will charge you a fifteen dollar fee, but you will give him a twenty instead. This will all be clear momentarily. Do not forget the notebook I told you about. You will need to use it in the near future._

I stuffed the note in my pocket and laid back in my chair. Harrisburg wasn't that far, but I would need all the rest I could get. This sounded like one huge errand. Why was I doing it? I felt connected somehow. But never mind that for right now. All I could do was close my eyes and fall asleep…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Pretty good for someone who's nvr been on a plane, ehh? Please keep reading, or start reading if you havent!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Intro

I got off the bus at twelve-thirty PM. I was sick and tired of whoever the h-e-double hockey sticks wrote me these notes and his or her no-shows. _It_ keeps sending me messages and telling me to go do a lot of ridiculous things.

Right now, I was looking for a girl with black hair by the name of Anna. She was supposed to give me a code phrase, but I don't know what it is. It said that I was supposed to know. I hope he's right, for once.

I walked to the theater and sat on one of those little benches that they have outside at parks and stuff. That where I was supposed to meet this Anna person. I felt bad for the kid. Who names their kid Anna anymore? So decades ago.

Then I saw something strange. A guy was up on the top of one of the apartment buildings near the theater, and it looked like he was staring at me behind binoculars, or a telescope.

_Or a photo lens._

This must be one of those…I don't know, freakazoids that It warned me about. I took action--I reached inside of my purple duffel bag and got out the rifle that It had put in there. I aimed carefully, and--_BANG!!!_

I sniped him. Blood covered the bricks where he was spying. Either one of the freakazoids, or a pervert. Doesn't matter. That was when I found out I had excellent aim.

As well as a good body build, great knowledge and know-how on sports, black belt in three different types of martial arts, and fantastic sensing abilities, but let's just skip the hairy details.

I just hope this Anna would hurry.

Chapter Three

The Actual Chapter

The plane landed twenty minutes ago. One of the stewards had to hit me in the head with a newspaper to wake me up, then I punched him and got escorted off the premises with my belongings. It was actually pretty funny. I think I broke his nose, ha ha.

As I exited the plane, one of those realtor persons forced a brochure in my hands. _Oh cool, this might have a map, _I wondered. I found a Starbucks in the airport where I got dropped off at, got a hot cocoa, and sat down, my blue duffel bag in the chair opposite me. Then I opened the brochure to find out it wasn't a brochure. It was the next note from Anonymous. Joy.

_Good show, Anna. Especially the part where you punched the steward's nose. Very smart choice, actually._

Was he or she serious, or was that supposed to be a sarcastic remark? I still do not know to this day. I didn't even know how he knew about it, unless he was truly a stalker and planned to lead me somewhere where crime would be committed.

That was when I finally remembered what I was supposed to be doing; finding the Filipino man with the weird sign. I stood up and navigated my way to the welcoming area, and looked for a Filipino man with a sign.

"Caucasian, African, Swiss…" I kept murmuring to myself so that I could concentrate. "Chinese, Japanese, Croatia, Filipino, British-- ahh, Filipino…" I walked over, and I could clearly see the sign; "Homeward Bound is Safe and Sound," and he gave me a nod of approval. He grabbed my arm roughly and started leading me outside to a taxi cab. I got in the shotgun while he dominated the driver's seat.

The drive took about a half hour of the day, and soon it was twelve-thirty. He stopped and held out his hand. I looked at his hand, then him, and remembered the twenty dollars Anonymous told me to give him. I fished in my wallet, where I had transferred the money, and gave him a twenty dollar bill. Instead of giving me change, he gave me a movie ticket. I thought he was crazy for a moment, but then he pushed me out of the taxi and sped off.

Soooo not giving him a tip of I ever see him again. But what was the ticket for? I don't even like James Bond.

As I looked up, I knew what the ticket had meant. The next clue. A theater was standing right in front of me, about 20 meters away. I walked over and looked around, looking for any suspicious--

_BANG!!!_

"Whoa, what the crap?!?" I shouted. This city was dangerous, big time. Maybe I should hightail it out while I still can.

But no. Anonymous would probably send someone or something to kill me if I don't do as he says. I don't really feel like dying young.

I waited a few moments, no other life-threatening sounds after me, thank God.

"Anna?" I turned around, and saw a girl about my age standing behind me. She was beautiful; she had pale blonde hair fashioned in a pixie style with neon blue highlights in just the right places, and part of her bangs covered her left eye. The eye I could see was a bright green color. She was a little shorter than me, and had the curviest body I've ever seen. Don't even get me started on the chest. She was a God-gifted child.

That doesn't give her an excuse to know my name, however. Was she psychic, was she with Anonymous, or was it a wild guess.

"Wh-who are you, and how do you know my name?" I spat out. She smiled, and said in a smooth, graceful voice, "What's the password?"

Anonymous said nothing about a password. "Uhh….I don't really know…?"

She shook her head. "Too bad, I'm gonna have to blow your head off." And with that, she took out a rifle. I gasped, putting my hands up in the air. "So you were the one who shot the gun…" Okay, it's official. She's psycho.

"Don't change the subject," she snapped. "What's the password?" It was then I started doing the smart thing and thinking about everything I've recently learned. The notes, the escaping my house, the plane, the blonde lady and the steward, the Filipino man, and the--

The sign.

"Uhh…Homeward Bound is safe and sound..?" I squeezed my eyes shut, praying that my life was spared.

"Good choice," she said, and I opened my eyes to find the rifle gone. That was the luckiest guess I made in my life. "My name is Selene Kokinos, and we're going to be traveling with each other for a while."

"Yeah, okay, as long as you don't shoot me," I said shakily. She thought it was funny. "Ha, you're funny! I think I'm going to like you," and she punched my arm playfully. Apparently she doesn't know her own strength. "Oww, okay, gotchya."

"Well come on, I have to fill you in on what's going on while we watch that stupid James Bond movie." Great, now I had to actually _watch_ the film. And if that's bad, I have to watch it with a gun-toting maniac. My pleasure.

We entered the theater after buying a whole bunch of food and drink because we thought we'd be talking the whole time, and we had to have something to wash it down. Then we took a few seats in the back where no one would hear us. Then Selene started giving me the lay-down.

"Alright, for starters, the guy who keeps sending us notes? He's one of the leaders of this organization called MFDA, which stands for Militia For Defense of All. We were chosen by birth to do this job, you've got the birthmark." Okay, now I know where my Californian friend came from. "Now, I don't know the guy's name, but I do know he's our age, fourteen."

"Wait, so why are a bunch of barely-teens in this? I mean, usually adults are involved with justice, right?" I asked. She shook her head. "This is a teens organization, actually. Adults are the main cause of what we're trying to stop." I nodded, but another question formed in my mind. "Wait, what are we trying to stop?"

"I'll get to that. Now, all we have to do is follow the notes until we finally have finished our unknown mission and finally get to go to base. I've been following the notes for a month, so it may take more time. Also, we don't truly have the parents we had when we left our homes."

"Re-really?!?" I was excited. A family of no-good, cruel people, and I wasn't related to them after all. "This is the best two seconds of my life…" She laughed. "They place us with the cruelest families so that we _want _to leave. If we don't leave, or refuse to do a task, they figure we're not worthy and they kill us. Basically, they're taking the brave ones and weeding out the weak. We're basically the Underlings."

"Well…that bites…" So it was simple now. Do or die. Which do I take, hmm hmm?

"Exactly," she said. "Now, to what we're fighting for. Once, about forty years ago, the organization used to be about fighting environmental wars, kids rights, and getting rid of bad adults and enemies of our own age. But there was a mutiny when we had received a new leader. The mutineers didn't particularly like that person, and also, they've been wanting to leave for a while' they turned power hungry. Now the mutiny has turned into a schism, and both sides are fighting for their lives. We're defending the people, while they're trying to kill them, along with us. That's what it's basically about. I don't know anything else than that."

"Jeez, Louise…" One second I'm being whipped to death by my "father," and now I'm involved with a war that I have to stay in or I'll die. "But…why me? And why all of us? Why were we chosen?"

"I don't know," Selene replied. Then, one of the janitors to the theater tapped her shoulder and handed her a paper. I immediately moved so that I could see it properly, and we both read it silently.

_Good job, girls. Now you both aren't in the dark anymore. The schism is turning more violent everyday. You now have been set on a different task. You must now move to Arizona where our enemies have gathered and are now retrieving information on all of the new recruits. Your photos are there. First, go to the salon down the street and get all new looks. You pick. Then walk to the train station and order tickets to Kansas. The airport has been infiltrated. Good luck._

And that's how the true part of my journey begun.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Come on, Selene, we can look at puppies later," I snapped at her. We had to get to the salon in order to get our makeovers. Yuck.

"Okay, I'm coming!" she said, and ran over. She gripped my arm and began dragging me with her. "Come on, we have to get to the salon!!!" she said in an irritated voice. "Don't snap at me, I wasn't the one gawking at puppies the whole time!" I exclaimed, and started to run with her. Being dragged doesn't feel right.

Then, finally, we got there. _Pink Chic, _it was called. Double yuck. Why couldn't we get makeup and clothes from Hot Topic?

We walked in, and the receptionist immediately took us in. Must've been with Anonymous, otherwise we would've been there for an hour. _And the fun begins, _I thought sarcastically in my mind.

Okay, to tell you the truth, it wasn't half bad. First was the hair. I kind of wanted to change my black hair, it was too…I don't know, Goth for my mutt-like personality. So I decided to go with a skater look; sandy brown with blonde highlights that weren't too light or bright. Then they cut it so it went only a few inches past my shoulders, hacking off probably a half foot of black, hairy fun. They dyed Selene's hair black, but she wanted to keep her blue streaks, so they re-did those, and added a few silver locks of hair to balance it all out. She only needed a small trim to even the layers, her hair was short enough. I had been wearing color contacts because I wanted black eyes, I didn't think dark blue eyes looked good with black hair, but I took them out now that I matched.

Next was clothes. Selene and I walked over to _Journeys_ for a casual look. She had gotten a red plaid long sleeved t-shirt that had fish nets as the sleeves, black zip-up vest, and clean cut jeans, with black Converse. I had gotten a orange tank top with a brown hoodie, and denim shorts that went an inch above the knees, and sneakers.

As soon as I looked at myself (which I rarely do. I'm no mirror hog. If you want one, go visit Tiffany) I thought my reflection had disappeared and someone else was standing there. Selene looked even more naturally beautiful in black hair and punkish sorta outfits. She may have well walked into Hot Topic (FYI she told me she loves that store. I'm starting to like her.)

"Well, that was better than I thought…" I said slowly. She laughed yet again. Was I really that funny without trying?

"Alright, let's head over to the station. We don't need anymore clothes, It put enough new ones in our bags," she said after the giggle-fit, and we both started to walk out.

"You call him 'It'?" I asked. She nodded. "Do you have a special name for It?" I turned away, smiled quickly, then turned back. "I call him Anonymous." She chuckled. "Well, I'll start calling him that too. 'It' is a little more offensive." I laughed back at that. Yep, I like her now. It's like I totally forgot about the gun.

The train was about to leave in five minutes when we got there; good timing on our part. We got tickets, something to eat on the way, and took a seat all the way in the back; turns out we both like the bumps.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot to tell you," she said, her mouth full of Subway. "You still have to change your name. All of us have to once we join the organization. My name used to be Amber Granite. Honestly, I'm named after a rock and a prep. Can parents be _that_ cruel?!?"

"Obviously you haven't met my family. And I will have the pleasure of renaming myself. No way am I living with the name those monsters gave me…" I hissed out just before I stuffed a potato chip in my mouth. She winced. "That bad? My parents were child molesters. They would beat me whenever they got drunk, high, or no kids out that night."

"Trust me, waaaaay more bad," I said. Then I started thinking about what my name was going to be. I didn't want it to be lame, like Anna. Kid you not, I like the name Anna, but it's terribly old. I like unisex names best. Like Kleo. Kleo is a cool name. And now for the last name….

"How about…Kleo Gillepsie??" I said unsurely. She smiled. "That's a nice name, go for it!" I smiled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The train dropped us off at Kansas the next day. We were glad to get out of the train. Well, at least, I was. I hate being cramped in one space with a bunch of other people, I get nervous that I was going to trip over them. I was dead-awful clumsy. Selene, however, was ticked off that I woke her up. Well, it's another day. We all have to get up at face it.

"Well, we're in Kansas. Home of the William Allen White House, Nashville, and the occasional tornado," I said in my fake joy voice. To get back at me for the rude awakening she received, she started humming the tune to "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by _The Wizard of Oz_, which threw me off my tracks. "Cut that out!"

She smirked and started walking up ahead. I followed, lugging my duffel bag (which is very very veeeeeery heavy. What did Anonymous put in there, a bazooka?) We both agreed to find some sort of hotel and stay there until we received the next note. We came up to a gas station after a few hours of wandering around in the middle of a strange city. Selene went inside to ask for directions, while I sat on the bench and pulled out the notebook. I'd noticed some weird stuff before, during, and after the trip, so I decided to write it all down.

_Weird things going on. On way to train stop, there was a sign made of wood and nails that said "You will regret joining those Yankees." Didn't tell Selene 'bout it, didn't wanna worry her or something. Then, in morning after waking up, I could've sworn I saw a man come up behind me with a knife, but as soon as I turned, he was gone. As soon as I got off train, I saw a skull image form in my head, then vanish. Don't know what it means--gotta go, Selene's back with directions for hotel._

I snapped the book shut and tucked it away before she could see. "Hotel Ghost, about a mile ahead," she said. I got up and we started walking through the suburbs. Nice, cute little town, if it wasn't adorable. Too bad we were leaving this one part of town, I saw a little gothic bookshop. I tried to walk over, but Selene pulled me away. She gets to look at puppies, and I can't look at books? Meanie.

We reached the hotel and checked in. We got a small room, two beds, bathroom, mini kitchen if we get hungry, T.V., the usual get up.

"Wait till Bob sees me now, lounging at a hotel," I said, flopping on my bed and messing up the sheets. "Who's Bob?" Selene asked when she grabbed a banana from a bowl that was sitting next to the microwave. "My dad--Oh, I mean _foster_ dad," I said.

"Oh yeah." She grabbed a strawberry from the bowl and sat down on my bed next to me. "Tell me about them, I wanna know how bad."

"Okay, but if you get nightmares tonight, don't blame me," I said, and then told her how complete animals my "family" were. By the time I finished, she was wide-eyed. "God, I'm getting dizzy…They punished you for the dog crapping on the carpet?" She asked in disbelief.

"Not only that. He took a wiz and barfed on it too. Seven hundred fifty dollar rug from Iran, soiled by a dog, and I get whipped with a belt for it."

"Jeez, Louise," she said. "My 'parents' weren't that cruel." Silence. Then we both busted out laughing.

"We shouldn't talk," I started to say after I got over my laughing fit. "There are children younger than us who have worse. We got to escape, they didn't." she wiped the tears of joy from her eyes. "True, I feel awful for them. But one day, I hope I get put on a mission to help free them. They don't deserve some of this crap adults give them. Kids get killed, kidnapped, robbed, uhh…" She trailed off, obviously trying to think of something else.

I decided to finish for her. "Raped, drowned, tortured, made into slaves, beaten, probably had kind parents who were killed, brought down to low self-esteem, locked up in dark rooms, starved to death, and forced to do drugs. Oh, and sometimes parents refuse to give them candy…That's a biggie. Some kids go soooo ballistic that they have a giant tantrum all over the house. Oh, wait, or is that just Lucy?" She started laughing again. Surprising how I can turn something sad into something funny.

Sadly, the fun didn't last. A few bullets came crashing through the window at top speed. One whistled past my ear, and that's when my adrenaline kicked in. I flipped off of the bed and somersaulted into the bathroom where they weren't shooting. Selene back flipped out the door and behind the wall. The shades were drawn, so they couldn't see us. Then the shooting paused, and a few clicks were heard. Guessing they were reloading their guns.

Selene ran over to her bag and pulled out two rifles. She threw one to me, and I caught it. "Quickly, shoot at them before they finish reloading!" I sneaked over to the window and saw our snipers. One was Asian looking, with solid black hair and slanted, dark eyes. The other had blonde hair and green eyes. They were both wearing gray.

I had never used a gun and was scared to. But I set my fears aside as I aimed, and squeezed the trigger. It was apparently a machine gun fashioned into a rifle shape, so I didn't have to reload it or squeeze the trigger multiple times. I missed the redhead by a few inches, and he shot a few rounds at me, which I dodged. The black haired boy got shot in the arm by Selene, blood flowing everywhere, and was retreating. Blondie followed him.

Selene stood up and took the gun from me. "Nice shooting, for an amateur. Sorry that it went so quick, that's usually what happens." I nodded, adrenaline starting to remove itself from my veins. Well, a gun was easier to operate than a pencil sharpener, to my joy. The thing is, will I have the guts to use it again?

I stood up, my legs a bit wobbly, my head spinning. "Shouldn't we get…out of here.." The world collapsed under my feet. Either that, or I lost balance and fell to the ground. Selene gasped and lifted me up, pulling me onto the bed. She studied my leg. "Oh, crap…that blonde guy sniped you with a dart.

"Oh, God, what the heck is it filled with?!?" I yelled out, fear exploding into my voice like a grenade. "Calm down, it's a simple sedating formula, you won't be able to move for a little bit, and it'll be hard to focus."

Sadly, she was right again, The room started to blur, and I couldn't focus a lot. Also, Selene speech sounded slurred and drunk as she tried to talk to me. This was the most God-awful feeling I've ever experienced. It felt nauseating and I felt weak. I prayed that I wouldn't die. Then, about a half hour later, the sounds around me got clearer and my vision improved. As soon as everything was where it should be, I sat up. Selene was sitting next to me, reading a book. She heard the bed creak as I got up, and looked up. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Come on, let's get out of here before we're attacked again." I grabbed my jacket, pulled it over my head, and grabbed my duffel. She put her book away and slung her bag over her shoulder. She gripped my arm, so I wouldn't lose balance again, and we walked out of the hotel after checking out.

We walked a few miles to find another hotel. We checked into that one, and practically ran into our room. "I'm going to go get something to read from the small plaza up ahead. You stay here and rest. One of the bellhops here is with us, he'll make sure no one tries to snipe you again," Selene said, and before I could protest, she shut the door. I sighed, laid on the bed, and drifted to sleep. I didn't want to, but I had to. That was the difference.

By them time I woke up, Selene was reading her new book and lounging in a huge arm chair. I sat up, rubbing my head. "What I miss…" She looked up, smiling. "You're up, you okay?" I nodded. I was feeling a heck of a lot better then after the blonde sniped me. I stood up and stretched. "What time is it?" She nodded her head over to a digital clock that was sitting atop of a desk, which read 9:20 PM. Jeez, that's the longest I've slept in a while. If the sun hasn't set and I fall asleep for ten minutes, I received a series of rude awakenings. Fun, huh?

"Dang, that was a new record, I could've kept sleeping…" She giggled yet again. What is wrong with me?!? "Yeah, I'll turn in too. We need energy for tomorrow. See you in the AM."

I nodded wordlessly and flopped back down on my bed, going right to sleep.


End file.
